Union County Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for $1.6 Million Tax Evasion Scheme

NEWARK, N.J. – A Union County, New Jersey, man who owned and operated contracting businesses in Essex County, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for filing false tax returns that failed to report all his personal and corporate income, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Olger Fallas, 50, of Union, the owner and operator of Olger Fallas Painting (OFP) and Olger Fallas Properties (OFPROP) previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi to an information charging him with two counts of tax evasion. Judge Cecchi imposed the sentence by videoconference today.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Fallas admitted that between 2013 and 2017 he owned OFP and OFPROP. He admitted that he attempted to hide personal and corporate income from the IRS by using a check cashing business to cash customer payments, which he did not report to the IRS. Fallas also admitted that he deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars in customer payments into bank accounts that were not associated with his companies. Fallas admitted that he evaded paying approximately $1.7 million in personal and corporate income taxes during the scheme. 

In addition to the prison term, Judge Cecchi sentenced Fallas to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $1.68 million in restitution.  

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Montanez, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamel Semper, Chief of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.